Daring Fate
by Mireilles3
Summary: LM Mara decides to take matters in to her own hands and woe the man she loves, but as always, she ends up with the blade of the lightsaber in her hands. Can they ever truly be together? Can she truly Dare Fate? And how does Luke react to all this P


Daring Fate

by Mireille 12-24-04

* * *

Disclaimers: None of this belong to me; everything in the Star Wars Universe belongs to George Lucas. 

See my home page for more details.

Unlikemy usual story, this ficlet is a stand alone that takes place after the official EU events involving Callista. It is set after the Corellian trilogy, some ten years after Heir to the Empire.

* * *

The day outside was beautiful, one of the rare days on Coruscant where the omnipresent humidity of the huge city wasn't hanging like a heavy cloak on the citizens' weary shoulders. 

It should have been a perfect day to continue Mara Jade's training in the private gardens of Leia's deserted apartment, but unfortunately, it wasn't the case.

Even though both the Jedi teacher and student had had the best of intentions in regards to this new training session, they had quickly hit a snag when Luke had pushed for them to work on meditation skills.

Again.

Unhappy with his attitude toward her preferred and pre-agreed curriculum, the red-head had instinctively found refuge behind her more usual sarcasm and sour mood before she had categorically refused to practice his suggested exercises.

She still did, too.

Three hours after the beginning of this strained session, Mara called for a break and went inside to use the 'fresher. Alone in his sister's beautiful garden, Luke Skywalker brought his chin to his chest and rubbed his temples in weariness.

Maybe he should call it a day because Mara was obviously not interested to further her skills. In fact, she had only wanted to practice what she already mastered, but it wasn't at all what he had had in mind when he had suggested a curriculum for this new training session. However, Mara had had plans of her own and, except for the split-concentration exercises, she hadn't taken much advantage of this new session with him.

A session 'she' had requested, too.

When she had come to him the previous day, she had been in an exceptionally good mood and had not taken any detours before asking him for a new training session. At first, he had been wary about her amiable attitude because it hadn't been like her at all to come out and ask him to teach her Jedi techniques. Then, he had surmised that she had finally been ready to tackle the more advanced techniques and he had readily acquiesced to her request.

Together, they had established a curriculum, and then had agreed to meet at his sister's place early in the morning.

All night long, he had diligently prepared exercises that would agree with the demands that she had made during their exchanges, only to realize early on this morning that what he had understood of her demands wasn't what she had in mind.

By focusing skills, she had meant how to draw in the Force, not meditation skills; she also hadn't visualized levitation exercises as something that she would do while doing hand stands, but rather as a directed practice to levitate larger objects than she was used to. As for her visualisation skills, she had not been talking about her meditation skills but about her ability to focus the Force properly so as to accomplish more complex manipulations.

Last on her list were her lightsaber skills, but he was now almost worried to ask her what 'exactly' she wanted to practice with those. Indeed, considering how far off the mark he had been all morning long, he didn't dare hope he was right in his comprehension that she wanted to improve her speed and fencing skills.

Furthermore, he grimaced inwardly, she might simply want to kill him after what had happened throughout the past hours, so all of a sudden, he 'really' didn't feel like sparring with her.

Rubbing his temples for a moment longer, he focused his mind on the soothing warmth of the Force and tried to draw from it the strength of will that was required for him to complete this session with his best/worst student ever.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Leia's and Han's kitchen, Mara Jade finished her glass of water and set it on the unusually clean counter top. As she took in the reflective material of the working area, she reflected that with the Solos gone in vacation for a whole month, the normally lively and cluttered apartment was strangely quiet and aseptic. 

The calmness truly agreed with her, though because she badly needed to center herself again before going back outside.

She needed to remind herself why she had sought Skywalker in the first place. She needed to remember that the last time she had transited through Myrkr's system, she had decided that she and Luke had been friends long enough and that she was truly ready to take a new step with him. Back then, she had reasoned that she had changed a lot since they had first met on the Forceless planet, and that 'he' had had almost five years to get over his broken heart.

She had concluded that if she ever wanted him, it was finally a good time to move in on him.

'Yeah, right,' she grimaced to herself as she returned to the present moment. That was easier said than done.

So as to not alarm the exceptionally shy man about her intentions, she had approached him like she occasionally did: with a request for further training. As she had expected, he had been happy to free some of his time for her, then had even let her decide what they would work on during the session. She had made a point of selecting anything but knowledge related to meditation skills.

She simply hated anything that had to do with the Jedi code and their vow of 'serenity'.

'Boredom and loneliness is more like it,' she scoffed at the thought, 'so thanks, but no thanks'. She had no interest to become like the other goody-two-shoes, lifeless-like Jedi that studied and lived at the academy.

Still, despite her precautions to steer Luke - the greatest devotee to Jedi meditation there was - away from that topic, he had still suggested it the moment that they had set to work.

Hence, despite her determination not to be abrasive or angry with him during this session, to even cooperate more easily than usual, he had hopelessly antagonized her. Worse, he hadn't backed down right away when she had warned him to stick to the curriculum, and then had given it another try when they had prepared for the third exercise. If she hadn't loved him as much as she did at that moment, she would have given him a limp before leaving him again for an undetermined period of time.

Preferably years this time.

Sighing heavily in frustration, the redhead beauty turned around and leaned her hips back against the counter; she then gripped the edge backward with her hands and strained to spend her remaining frustration. Darn, she growled inwardly, she 'had' to get a grip of herself.

On the other hand, did she really want to seduce Luke Skywalker, sole Jedi teacher and Master in the galaxy? Or was he too costly to her lifestyle? Was she even ready to make the necessary compromises to involve this man in her daily existence? Or did she expect him to stop being... who he was?

The answer was, of course, that she was ready to negotiate compromises. Otherwise, she would never be able to claim that she loved Luke Skywalker for who he was.

It had taken her a long while to understand why she hadn't been able to kill him on Myrkr, and even longer still to accept that she had feelings for him, but the latest rumors of his being involved with a young aristocrat had been the last straw for her emotional resistance. The moment that she had caught sight of the gossip's headline, her heart had clenched so hard in her chest that she had known without any doubt that she wanted that man for herself. It had hurt her to see him with that Callista woman, and it raised her hackles every time she either saw him with a new escort or heard unfounded rumours about his involvement with someone.

But not anymore, she promised herself anew. Now, she knew how she felt about him – why she felt the way she did – and no one would steal him from her.

Of course, she pouted slightly, there was always the possibility that they would truly be incompatible and could only remain friends, but no one would be able to accuse her of watching the hovertrain pass by her anymore. As true as her name was Mara Jade, she would do everything within her powers to woe the man she desired and seduce him to her side.

Besides, she shrugged confidently, Luke also had feelings for her; she could see it every time that their eyes met, which was more often than not. Hence, it was not so much the question of luring the powerful and reclusive Jedi master out of his haunt and into her arms, as it was to show him that she was ready to welcome him there.

She only prayed the Force that she wasn't too late to convey that message to him. After all, she knew of his private promise to never make himself vulnerable the way he had with Callista.

Drying sudden tears of sadness from her eyes, she took a deep breath as she remembered the discomfited composure he had harboured for a very long while after his ex-lover had left him... Back then, she recalled, he had closed up with almost everyone, except her... and, one night, aboard her ship, they had shared one of their most unique, if drunken, moments of friendship.

However, that night, over one too many corellian brandies, he had also revealed to her that he would never let another woman hurt him the way Callista had.

At that moment, she had not thought much about why he had shared that intention with her and had instead given him her full support in achieving that goal. 'Yeah, right' she grimaced at the memory of the fateful toast they had shared after his revelation, 'to lifelong celibate!'

Once the alcohol had receded from her system, though, along with the pounding headache that had resulted from the excessive drinking, she had remembered that once upon a time, Luke had tried to tell her that he loved her. She had then winced at the memory of her rebuffing his advances with a meaningful vow to never let either a Jedi or even a mere man ever dominates her life ever again.

She groaned again at her stupidity of those early years of their awkward friendship. She had been too convincing on that fateful day, slamming the door in his face and on his nose, thus making sure that he would never dare even consider knocking on it ever again. Little did she know that, someday, she would be the one yearning to knock on 'his' door so as to deepen their relationship.

Yeah, she sighed resignedly, she unfortunately understood why that fateful night, he had confided in her his desire to avoid anymore heartaches, thus love altogether. He had remembered that, on a stormy day in their uneven friendship, she had made a similar promise to him.

And there they were, she grimaced; two lonely hearts trying to convince themselves that they didn't need anyone else in their lives, yet craving for one another.

She was sure of it; she was sure that Luke also retained strong feelings for her. Otherwise, she mused yet again, why in the Force would he so readily accept to use up 'his' time of vacation to train her?

'Duh,' she answered sarcastically, 'because he still sees you as a potentially great Jedi.'

Well, then, she retorted to herself, she would simply have to make sure that he understood that even though it was not 'her' goal, he could still help her be a better Jedi on her terms.

Yes, she nodded as she pushed away from the counter, she would resume their current situation with this offer, and then see where things were going. She didn't need to reveal her true feelings for him in one day, did she?

No, she didn't.

Then that was settled, she nodded to herself.

With a decisive step, she left the Solos' apartment and rejoined him in the garden.

She was ready to apologize for her ill temper when she caught sight of him – and stopped short in her tracks.

Damn that Jedi, was it all he was ever able to do nowadays?

To her greatest irritation, Luke was sitting cross-legged on the grass, his face a mask of serenity as he dwelled in the Force to replenish his own strength and calm. He opened one eye, as if sensing the turmoil of her emotions.

'Calm, Mara, calm,' she entreated herself. 'If you can't accept him the way he is, meditation addiction and all, then you don't love him, remember?'

"Huh..." Luke hesitated as he saw her standing over him, her fists planted on her hips in unspoken aggression. "Is something the matter, Mara?"

'Yeah,' she wanted to spit at him. 'Those meditation habits of yours sap you from your true personality and you're not even aware of it!' Out loud, though, she stumbled on her words. "I... huh... no," she managed meekly and forced herself to relax.

For a long moment, both Jedi gazed at each other, unmoving from their positions yet longing to narrow the distance between each other.

"I'm ready to fence and beat you, for once," she finally offered, extending her hand toward him to help him up to his feet.

Luke perched an eyebrow in perplexity yet accepted her help. "Is that why you want to train, then? To beat me in fencing?"

Kreth, she cursed inwardly. She was once again allowing her aggression to take control of herself, and it was 'not' a good advisor in the matters of the heart. "Ah... no, of course not," she tried as sincerely as she could. "It's just, that, ah, it makes things more interesting, doesn't it?"

She winced again when he frowned at her. "I see. You really don't want to further your skills as a Jedi, do you?"

"And become like you? No thanks!" she answered--- and instantly clamped her mouth shut as she realized what she had just uttered.

'Wayyyyyyy to go, Jade...,' she silently sneered at herself. 'Now that's the way to make him feel appreciated and valued as a companion.'

Luke let go of her hand and took a step back from her. "What's 'that' supposed to mean?" he asked in mild irritation.

Her words had been spoken with so much despise... Did she still hate him this much? He had always thought that they had overcome that part of their first encounter and that she, at least, appreciated him as a good friend.

He had never dared hope for more, though... not after the way she had turned down his mere hint that he might be interested in sharing a more intimate relationship with her. That day, he had understood her message loud and clear and had never ventured down those nebulous territories ever again.

At least while talking with her.

However, he had never sensed disgust or hatred coming from her. Irritation, sure, annoyance and protectiveness, aplenty, but... "I had no idea that I disgusted you so much, Jade," he answered glumly in the heavy silence that had stretched between them. He moved to turn away from her.

She surprisingly grasped his right bicep in a strong hold and turned him back toward her. "No, Luke, wait. I don't despise you. I..."

"Then what do you despise so much, huh? The Jedi 'in' me?"

She remained silent once again and he understood that he had hit the mark.

"Well, sorry to break it to you, Jade, but I 'am' a Jedi now. Perhaps if you had known me in my youth, you would have met with a different Luke, but this is who I am now and you'll just have to accept me as I am."

"But you don't have to be a Jedi, Luke!" she argued with him.

He glared harder at her, sensing that she disliked the Jedi so much that she had in mind to try and change that part of his personality. He 'really' didn't like where this was going now. He had been there with Leia already and he didn't care to have a repeat with Jade as well.

"Don't you see?" she tried to plea with him. "That cursed Jedi serenity is killing you. You say that you can't be the farmboy you used to be? And I say you are when you let yourself be spontaneous again. Why don't you dare and live for a change."

For a change? He mentally roared, his temper quickly getting out of even his tight control. As if he had never... The gall of that sith-spit woman!

He stared angrily at her even as he reflexively shrugged free of her hold. He didn't know what her motivation had been to seek him out for this training session, let alone what had gotten into her in the first place, but enough was enough.

He could take much from her, but challenging him for the choices that he had made in the wake of his bad experiences was pushing it, even for her. Besides, he grumbled in resent, he never questioned the choices that 'she' made for herself, so why should she?

She shouldn't, he decided as he made up his mind to placate her before she hurt him further than she already had.

Besides, who was she to question how he chose to lead his life?

"So I'm not daring enough? Is that what you're saying?" he challenged her, set on pointing out her shortcomings the way she had his; he, too, wanted to hurt her now. Sure, he knew that it wasn't the Jedi way to seek retribution, but the Code be damned, she was reproaching him to be too much of a Jedi anyway, so he would gladly oblige her and be 'less' of a Jedi and more of a human man. "Who are you to question me? You're certainly not daring enough either to judge me, Jade."

"What?" she reared back, insulted. "No daring enough? I'm not the one who holes up in a Jedi academy and isolates herself from even her family."

Luke's eyes hardened at this. "Sure, but then, you don't have a family, nor have you ever taken action to have one of your own, have you?" His icy-blue eyes locked on her indignant ones. This was getting uglier than he had ever thought possible, but it was too late to stop the harm now.

They were already drifting apart thanks to their incisive critiquing of each others' unconstructive choices in life, yet he had been insulted and judged one too many time; this time, he 'would' counter-attack, not merely ignore the other and find a quiet corner where no one would see him lick his psychological and emotional wounds.

This time, he would inflict wounds of his own.

"You've never allowed yourself to fall in love, have you, Jade?" he challenged her mercilessly, slowly backing her toward the nearby exit of the garden. "You don't know what it is to dare completely expose yourself to someone's scrutiny, and then have that person betray you with everything she's discovered about you."

'Kind of like what we're doing right now,' he reflected dazedly, and paused on his thoughts.

His subconscious was right, he then admitted. He and Mara, perhaps he more than Mara, were tearing each other apart thanks to the private knowledge that they held of each others' flaws... and... and it hurt him to do this to her.

It hurt him, yet at the same time, it also hurt him to think that she only saw him as a reclusive Jedi hermit who refused to live a more regular life.

It was not as if he had a choice, he wanted to tell her, but he held his peace, suddenly aware that baring his anger was not the way to settle this latest dispute. He was also belatedly aware that Mara had remained mute throughout his last tirade, which meant that, if he finally shut up, their vicious argument would be over.

However, that latest disagreement had, much to his chagrin, taught him that she wasn't the best friend he had thought her to be...

She was even less the woman who might love him the way he did her... "You don't know me," he finished glumly, and pointed at the exit of his sister's garden and apartment. He had had enough of confrontations for a whole week. He needed to be alone now so as to come to terms with the ugly discovery that he had just made.

For long moments, Mara could but stare in stupor at her companion.

Luke, the ever-gentle farmboy who had melted her heart... the kind-hearted man who had helped her claim her freedom, and then enjoy it to the fullest by embracing her good emotions... that man had just forced her to face her flaws like any cruelly intelligent man she had ever dealt with...

Like the Emperor had...

Like Vader had.

As her memories made the parallel between the past and the present, she realized that she had pushed it too far with him.

Again.

She had hurt him, had insulted both and the respect that she had claimed to have for him as both a Jedi and a regular man...

She had lost him forever.

"Luke," she tried when he showed her the door, a clear sign that she was dismissed for as long as she wished, "I'm sorry, I..."

"Leave me, Jade," he answered, turning her back to her. "Leave me alone and don't come back this time."

Her heart wilted and wrenched at his final words... She had destroyed their friendship... She had wanted to open the door to a love relationship between them, and instead she had destroyed their up-to-now enduring friendship.

Her heart was screaming at her to let go of her reserves and tell him the whole truth about her intentions before it was truly too late, but her head resisted the urge.

She had caused this... It was pointless to worsen the situation by humiliating herself in front of him.

With a last regretful glance at his turned, white-clothed, muscular back, she turned around and quickly walked out of the Solos' property.

She managed to hold back her tears until she had sealed herself in her apartment, two floors above the Solos.

Luke, for his part, remained in his sister's place for as long as the tears had stopped flowing, marking his face with the pain of the loss of yet another woman he had loved.

* * *

Three days passed during which Mara did her best to control herself, hence mostly worked from home to avoid chewing off anybody's head but her own. However, there were times during those days that she fervently wished that she hadn't learnt to hold back on her temper when in a professional setting; that way, she would finally relieve her pent-up emotions on a living being, thus feel a little bit better. 

On the other hand, Karrde wouldn't forgive her if they lost one of 'those' clients because she had had yet another rift with Luke, so she refrained from interacting anymore than she had to with the annoying Aqualish traders.

On the evening of the third day, though, Mara was fed up with her self-imposed hermitage and decided to evacuate her emotions while showing 'him' up.

She had munched over their dispute so many times throughout the past seventy-two hours that she not only knew all their words by heart, but her sadness at losing him had also morphed into anger at the comments that he had dared throw back at her.

As if she and Skywalker were anything alike! She mentally spat at him as she prepared for the evening. Well, she glanced suavely at her purposefully arousing appearance, she'd show him what it was to be daring in life.

Indeed, she's show him so much that he'd regret not accepting the wisdom of her words and simply change his point of view on certain Jedi matters.

She finished tying up her hair in an elaborate do before she put on extravagant earrings that she had never worn even though she had had them for a while. The small, triangle-shaped, meshed metallic dangles hung artistically from the underside of the medium-sized golden arcs, creating a somewhat mystical effect that she intended to use to her advantage tonight.

She then tied a matching necklace around her bare neck, slipped an intricate golden bracelet around her right wrist, and then completed her unusual look by putting on the gown that she now knew she would never have any occasion for.

'Unless I make one, that is,' she reflected, feeling rather sultry as she slipped the garment over her naked body.

She also became aware that she liked that feeling of feminine power and promised herself to use her womanly attributes to the fullest. Indeed, for the first time since she had broken free of her past, she wouldn't hesitate to reveal the more feminine, hence vulnerable side of herself... though she still intended to come off as a strong woman.

After all, she mused as she met her daring gaze in her body-length mirror, if one wanted Mara Jade, one had to be able to handle her very independent and determined set of mind.

'Like Luke,' her subconscious commented, but she angrily brushed off the thought and refocused on her dressing activities.

Smoothing the silk material of her dress, she adjusted the sapphire green material so that it held in place despite its unpractical design.

She was satisfied to discover that, as it had been when she had first tried it, the sexy gown fit her form to perfection, the deep slash of the V-neck revealing much of her chest while the two golden jewel chains that held the two pieces of fabric tied to one another enhanced the swell of her breasts, which the body-hugging material flattered immensely; a similar cut in her back revealed much of her milky-white back while the rest of what covered her torso sensually hugged her curved hips. As for her legs, the slit that went from her left thigh to her left foot hid nothing much from sight yet remained decent. It was simply a very revealing yet still decent dress as nothing that shouldn't be exposed further was uncovered.

Of course, she had first planned to wear this gown only when at home, but, she shrugged, events had not occurred as she had thought they would and she would not let that beautiful dress go to waste.

Furthermore, if she couldn't used it to woe the man she used to desire, she'd woe someone else, or even simply have a great evening enjoying herself thanks to her feminine wiles.

Deep down, though, she only wanted to 'prove' to Luke that she dared face Life head on, displaying all her advantages to potential companions instead of either avoiding them or hiding behind her blaster and lightsaber.

She'd show him, she promised herself. She'd prove to him that he was wrong about her. That she was alone by choice and not because she was afraid!

She growled yet again at his impertinence. Her afraid? As if! She raved at a mental image of the 'coward' who had dared project his own fears on her.

With intense frustration still roiling within her, she gave herself a last once-over and nodded in smug satisfaction. She was downright ravishing; no one would resist her for long, and she would accomplish that without using even her blaster to overcome her preys.

She turned around and left her bedroom.

On the way to the door, she picked her small golden purse, slipped on her high-heeled pumps, and then slid her golden shawl around her shoulders and forearms. At long last, she left her apartment – perhaps even her old life.

Yes, she reflected as she locked behind her, this was it; her life would never be the same because she would not be hung up anymore on some stupid coward Jedi Master. Instead, she would bite into Life for all she was worth, and she'd allow herself to experience what she had ignored up to now thanks to a certain 'Jedi' she wouldn't mention anymore.

She brazenly walked down the empty corridor and called the turbolift. As she waited, she reflexively hitched her shawl higher on her shoulders – subconsciously trying to hide from sight some of her abnormally exposed lithe figure – when she caught herself and forced herself to leave her shoulders uncovered.

If she were going to play the game of seduction and show 'him' up, she rebuked herself, she 'had' to do it all the way to the end.

A few seconds later, the lift stopped on her level; the doors opened and she quickly stepped aboard before she could debate further with herself. Still, her subconsciously kept screaming at her, asking her what in the Force she was planning to do.

Indeed, what was 'she' thinking about, going in a public place in such a scant outfit?

Well, perhaps she wasn't even thinking, she conceded next even as her index finger moved toward the stop button of the lift.

But no, she reprimanded herself once again; she would 'not' back down. Not when her honour was at stake. She would prove Luke wrong, and she would do that by flirting with---

With who? She stopped in bemusement. Men like Calrissian?

She made a face at that thought even as she clenched her fists at the memory of the last time that she had had to shoo 'that' man away from her.

Again---

A quiet sound of shifting clothes attracted her attention behind her and she suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone in the lift.

Abruptly self-conscious of both her expressive self and her uncovered body parts, she wrapped her shawl tighter around her boldly uncovered back even as she hesitantly turned around to check the other's reaction to her sensuous presence.

'Oh cr---'

"Huh, good evening, Jade," Skywalker said, fiercely blushing all the way to his ears as he dared meet her gaze.

'Kreth,' she cursed inwardly even as she felt the sudden urge to punch the command for the next floor and avoid him yet again. Of all the people that she might have run into on her way to the darkened dancing bar of the Palace, it had to be... 'him'.

Feeling both angered and uncomfortable, she barely mumbled something intelligible to him before she once again turned forward.

He would not affect her anymore, she silently vowed to herself; he would not affect her again because she would never talk to him ever again---

"Hmmm, so..." he tried again in the silence, "where are you off to, dressed like this?"

Upon hearing the dubious tone of his voice, all of her resolve not to speak to him fled out the window and she whirled on him, fists clenched and raised as if she were ready to pounce on him. "Listen to me, Jedi. That's none of your business what I---"

Even as she took a step closer to the brown-cloaked Jedi, the deck underneath their feet suddenly lurched as the turbolift abruptly halted in its tracks.

Easily losing balance on her high-heeled pumps, she fell into his arms and clung to him for balance even as he reflexively spread his booted feet to retain their balance. Meanwhile, all the lights around them shorted out for a few seconds before the emergency lights turned themselves on, bathing them into buttery shadows.

Suddenly aware of how close she was to him, she hastily regained her balance and took a step away; Luke, for his part, looked around them, probably in search of an explanation in regards to their present situation.

Then, she felt him reach out with his senses. Pulled despite herself to the sudden serenity that stole over his face, she watched his shadowed profile, enraptured, as he used his skills to ascertain the situation. As she studied his current expression, she absentmindedly pulled her shawl tighter around herself while reflecting that as much as she was loathe admitting it, it truly looked natural for him to be in such a state of perfect communion with the Force...

Still, there was definitely a difference between his using the Force like this and meditating on it...

The latter undoubtedly seemed less self-fulfilling then the first. Now, she sighed in resignation, if only he would understand that... there might be some hope for them yet...

After completing his survey of the whole city and ascertaining that there wasn't any danger other than a regular power outage, Luke remained in his altered state a second longer, guiltily enjoying the feel of Mara's Force-strong presence nearby. She was downright electrifying right now, her pent-up energies bursting out of her like so much sparks of Life itself.

Although he had spent the last three days convincing himself that they weren't meant to be and that he should simply forget about her – although he did owe her an apology - he was once again forced to accept that 'he' couldn't give up on her.

He loved her, he desired her and he couldn't give her the cold shoulder even if he wanted to.

Still, she had made it abundantly clear that she didn't have any feelings for him, perhaps not even friendship... It still hurt him to think so, but their latest argument had taught him that he was probably feeling more for her than she for him.

Aware that she was waiting for him to come out of his trance, he reluctantly slipped out of his altered state where her presence was magnified to his senses; he focused his bright blue eyes on her. "It's only a power outage, nothing worse. The whole of Capitol city is affected but emergency teams are already on their way."

"Here?" she frowned even as she pulled her shawl closed over her abnormally-exposed chest.

He forced himself to focus anywhere but at her lavishly-revealed body. He had always known that she was a gorgeous woman, but this... this... was pushing even him to his limits of self-restraint, and Force knew that he didn't reach those very easily anymore.

However, she looked absolutely irresistible tonight, and he was only human... a human man.

"No..." he began, careful to retain his composure and not betray the intense fire that was now burning in his loins and belly at the mere memory of her highly-exposed lower back while she had been turning her back to him. The material of the gown barely covered her high enough to be considered decent, yet left very little to the imagination... and all of a sudden, he had had 'a lot' of imagination-- "Their priority is the central," he continued, forcing himself to focus on anything but 'her'. "As for the lifts of the palace, we're in a regular one, so we're not a priority at all." He gave her a moment to process what he had just revealed to her, and then couldn't help but add: "Looks like we're stuck here for a while, Jade." 'Together.' He then silently added in his mind, feeling a certain measure of satisfaction at the thought that she wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon... not dressed like this anyway.

He briefly pondered the irony of the fact that neither of them carried their lightsabers at the moment, and then admitted that this omission from both of their parts really sat well with him because he 'really' didn't want them to get out of this lift...

He didn't want to let Mara wander anywhere while she was dressed like this...

Like a sexual goddess, something that she might be, he conceded, yet it was also an image that utterly conflicted with the real Mara, the one he had grown so fond of throughout their years of adversity and friendship.

And then, it hit him.

He was jealous!

He was actually jealous of anyone who had gotten her to dress like this, and as true as his name was Luke Skywalker, he wasn't leaving her out of his sight until she had given 'him' a chance to make up for their latest rift.

He didn't want to lose her to anyone. Now now; not ever.

"Stuck?" she scowled unhappily. "You mean that you're super Jedi powers can't help us to get out of here?"

He couldn't help but smile slyly at her when he replied: "Aren't you always telling to refrain from using the Force when it is not truly necessary?"

For a moment, he feared that she would whip out her blaster from its hidden place and would blow a hole in that thick head of his as her beautiful green eyes were positively blazing at him with unreleased fury, thus discovering yet again that, as much as he loved baiting her, it was a very dangerous hobby and that he'd someday get burnt while practicing it.

Then, her rage abated and she snorted in disgust. "Of all the times to finally listen to me..."

Aware that he had had a reprieve, Luke couldn't help but ignore the voice of his reason and rib her yet again. "Then why don't 'you' give it a shot?" he offered her in a half-meaningful, half-teasing fashion.

She grimaced at him. "Yeah, right, as if I were strong enough to even free the lift from its safety locks, let alone levitate it to the next door and maintain it there while opening those doors."

It was his turn to give her a stern glare. "If you were more diligent in your training, you would be."

"Shut up!" she viciously bit out before she turned away from him. She then crossed her arms and wrapped her shawl tighter around herself, obviously arranging it so that it covered as much of her as possible. "Great," she muttered in irritation as she was so engaged. "Looks like my evening's over before it even started."

Although she wasn't addressing him, Luke still replied: "It's probably better that way, too."

She instantly whirled on him, her eyes ablaze once again. "What's 'that' supposed to mean, Jedi?"

The said Jedi met her glare head-on, not backing down this time. "Didn't you forget some piece of your gown back home?" he pointed out meaningfully. "What do you think you're doing, dressing in such a fashion?"

Mara's first instinct was to pounce on the Jedi right there and then and pummel him for all her worth to punish him for his gall. How dared 'he' judge her appearance like this? As if he were in any position to comment on what she was or wasn't wearing, he who wore 'nothing' but Jedi blacks or robes.

Right on the heels of that thought, though, she met his expressive blue eyes and it suddenly dawned on her that his comments might not be born of arrogance and righteousness... but of worry... perhaps even... jealousy?..

My, she smiled to herself even as her perceptions of him did a u-turn, who would have thought that he 'truly' felt something for her? Of course, she mused to herself, the problem was to discover what exactly he was feeling for her, but it was a start anyway.

If nothing else, it gave a whole new meaning to some of the words that they had exchanged last time they had been together, and it gave her some measure of hope.

She decided to drop some of her defences and allow him to open contact with her once again. "What?" she teased him mock-sarcastically, "it's not Jedi enough for you?"

Luke sighed heavily in exasperation. "That's not what I mean and you know it," he rebutted her, and then frowned at her. "That's a reaction to our latest confrontation, isn't it?"

"And you?" she retorted in kind. "Do you intend to prove me wrong by turning even more into a hermit and pretend to be Happy that way? You really turn your back to life with your all-Jedi attitude, you know? Can't you feel the difference in yourself when you cut back a little?"

Although they were arguing, she was glad to see the flame of his emotions shine anew in his mesmerizing blue eyes because it meant that he wasn't relying on his Jedi Serenity vows at all, hence that he was as alive as he could be.

On the other hand, his voice was acerb and his expression, one of displeasure. She grimaced in annoyance.

"So what?" he challenged her, taking a step closer to her. "It's my choice, isn't it?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You can keep it, too, for all I care."

Both of them huffed in mild frustration. No matter how hard they tried, they always ran into one another's contradictory perceptions of what a Jedi's life should be.

Would they ever have a reprieve? She wondered earnestly, even longingly.

As he watched his companion study the ceiling as if in search of an exit route, Luke reflected that although they were once again arguing and that the lifts were slowly being reactivated – one at a time – he prayed the Force to grant him a small favour and let them be the last lift to be released from the safety locks.

Somehow, he could feel that something was going on with Mara, something that was related to the Jedi – obviously – but also to their choices in regards to how they led their lives. Now why would Mara always come back on this subject with him unless she really believed that he was making a mistake... unless he was trying to tell him something.

Undoubtedly, whatever it was, they needed more time, and privacy, to work it out without either of them closing the door or running away when it became too close and personal.

Like he had done two days ago.

Like she had wanted to do ever since she had boarded the lift.

Besides, he glared unhappily, even if he knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself in any given circumstances, he 'still' didn't like the idea of her strolling around any public place dressed like...

Like the most attractive beauty he had ever laid his eyes on; even his first glimpse of Leia didn't come to the ankle of the vision that was currently trapped with him aboard the stuck turbolift.

If only to make sure that he would not leave her out of his sight while she was scantily-clad, he would make sure that they would, indeed, stay long enough in this enclosing so that she wouldn't be going out afterward. Of course, he couldn't interact with her in the way she was obviously interested in tonight – her attire simply was an unspoken invitation to have sex with her - but at the same time, he couldn't let her ruin her life by going out with just 'any' man.

"I see that I'm finally catching you without your lightsaber," the object of his thoughts suddenly taunted in the silence. "What's the occasion?"

Luke focused back on her, taking in the perfect if shadowed sight of her delicate features, her pointed nose and soft chin as well as the way her piled-up hair gave her a downright aristocratic look. Though he preferred when she wore her hair down, he had to admit that this new look was very much to his liking.

Kind of like how it was with his sister's hair, he dimly reflected.

"Kam needed to talk to me before leaving for Yavin," he finally answered her honestly. "It was only a ten minutes leave to the hangar, so I didn't see any need to retrieve it before leaving."

"But you put on your cloak," she pointed out shrewdly.

"I was going outside," he began, then caught himself and glared at her. "Look, is this some sort of new hobby? Analyzing everything I do and don't do?"

To his dismay, the gorgeous beauty smiled sweetly at him. "It wasn't, but now that you mention it..."

Aware that she would not let him off the hook anytime soon, he sighed heavily in resignation and shook his head at her. "You should really get a life, Jade. You should know by now that I'm not entertaining in the least."

"That's what you think... Luke."

Noticing her usage of his first name – something that she never did except in extremely rare circumstances – he sharply looked up at her.

She merely smiled gently at him before she turned away from him and stepped closer to the control board where she began trying to reroute power into the turbolift's power cells.

Fifteen minutes later, she was forced to admit defeat.

Her lame attempt to distract herself from the ever-obsessive presence of her desired and desirable companion was not bearing any fruit.

Worse, she was more and more determinate to make up with him, yet a part of her – the one called 'pride' – didn't want to make it easy for him.

Not yet anyway.

He had hurt her with his truthful words, had forced her to face her horrible flaws and shortcomings, as well as the fact that she, who had not even feared Darth Vader, had been afraid to open up to anyone.

Especially to 'him'.

"So what now?" she asked him before she could stop herself.

Luke remained silent for a moment, as if he were pondering whether her question had a deeper meaning or not, but did it? She wondered herself. Had she simply inquired about their current situation? Or had her subconscious made her inquire about their future...

Together.

Luke decided that she was only talking about the present. "Kam is at the power plant to check on the incident and it is, indeed, a maintenance accident. Everything should be fixed within the hour; every available resource is assigned to the crisis as the power outage affects the whole city, not just the palace. We only need to wait for our lift's turn to be reactivated."

"I see." She once again hitched her shawl closer to her bare shoulders, unable to warm herself sufficiently in the currently unheated metallic structure. Maybe Skywalker was right and it had been a very bad idea to---

"Here," he offered even as a heavy yet warm weight settled onto her shoulders and around her thinly-covered arms. "Wear this."

She took a moment to glance down at his hands resting on her shoulders, at his coarsely-woven cloak, then in his eyes.

His kind, oh-so-compassionate eyes...

He shrugged at her unspoken question. "I can see you shivering despite the dim lighting in here. Don't be so proud for once," he gently admonished her.

Even as she meant to refuse his offer out of stubbornness – she didn't want to show him any weakness, yet – she noticed that unlike what she had first surmised, her companion was not wearing his usual Jedi tunic.

Instead, he was clad in kaki battle fatigue and a white shirt, thus looking very much like the farmboy-turned-rebel-fighter that she had once seen on surveillance holos.

She couldn't help but stare at this unexpected side of him. Even though she had always known him to be more than a Jedi master, it was the first time ever that she was actually seeing a proof that she had pegged him right.

This discovery relieved her and she gratefully slipped her bare arms into the large sleeves of the woollen cloak. "I'm not excessively proud," she absentmindedly defended herself as she did so. "I just don't need you anymore than you need me."

Which was true, she argued with herself. As much as she wanted to be with him, she would still not rely on him anymore than necessary; she would never allow 'any' man to ever deprive her again of her autonomy and strength.

Luke's hands, which had still been resting lightly on her shoulders, slowly dropped back to his sides even as he took a step away from her. "Who said I didn't need you?" he asked, downcast.

'Huh?' She silently gaped, her thoughts abruptly coming to a halt as her brain processed the words that he had just uttered. She remained silent, baffled by his sudden change of attitude as well as his physical nearness.

Luke didn't know what had possessed him, but all of a sudden, he had been unable to remain silent anymore in regards to how he felt about her.

Worse, even though he was assured to get a limp for being forthright with her, he couldn't stop himself from sharing the rest of his thoughts with her. "I know you, Mara. I know you so well that I am aware that the black leather strip around your left thigh is not a kinky accessory but the means by which you conceal your pocket blaster and vibro knife." He pointed at the said hidden holster before he searched her shining eyes with his. "Were you out to have fun, or were you going after someone?" he asked boldly, but then realized what he had just said and blushed fiercely. "Huh, never mind."

Jedi or not, her dressing choice of the moment was definitely beginning to get to him, awakening thoughts and desires that were simply out of 'his' league as far as his dear companion was concerned.

Unfortunately for him, though, she notices his blushing despite the fact that they were in a dimly lit lift.

She smiled coyly at him even as she purposefully pulled both his robe and her shawl down to her waist, revealing her very enticing chest and upper body to his scrutiny. "What?" she asked him in an abnormally sensuous voice even as she shifted to adopt a definitely alluring position. "Is my chosen attire beginning to get to your head, farmboy?"

Luke reflexively backtracked when she took a step closer to him, suddenly aware that he was now playing with fire. As much as he wanted her to be with him, there was still a margin between making up with her, and actually moving on with what he felt for her. He just didn't want to be 'in love' again... didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past and lose her the way he had lost all the others he had ever loved...

He was also downright scared to suddenly be the center of 'her' attention... her unwavering, focused attention as if she were set on a target... or as if she had found a better way to hurt him than what she had done three days ago. He knew that she loved to tease him, but would she really be so mean as to physically taunt him like... that? But then, she was Mara Jade, ex-imperial assassin and spy, used to manipulate men with her feminine wiles if need be... and he was just a naïve, simple farmboy for a tenth-rate planet... If she didn't have scruples in that area, then he would be a child's play for her and she undoubtedly knew it.

Would it be a way for her to pay him back for their latest rift? Would she really go that far to avenge herself from his mean words?..

"What..." he began hesitantly, "What sane man would 'not' be affected by your actual sight? You..." He drifted off, swallowing hard in the suddenly oppressive heat of the lift. Was she 'actually' moving in on him? But... why?..

She sensuously approached him further, taking advantage of her slithering steps to put her generous curves to good use even though she was still partly covered by his cloak. How in the Force could she be... so... so...

"Yes?" she inquired in the silence, stepping closer still to him. She stopped when they were standing less than a few inches away from each other.

All of a sudden, he became aware that his attraction for her was not only a physical thing; her spirit as well as her strength of will were also drawing him through their Force-bond, attracting him to her flame like a moth to the light.

And he was just about to burn his wings on her, yet something held him back. Something he had thought he had settled with himself, but it was now obvious that he hadn't. He 'really' didn't dare open himself further to her than he already had... not if she were going to hurt him in the end... like... 'she' had.

"You..." he began, then when she inched closer, stepped aside and took his distance from her. He searched for a way to distract her from what she was trying to do. "Darn, can they take anymore time to get us out of here?" he asked, implicitly informing her that he would not play that game with her.

Mara, though, would not let him take control of the situation; not now that he had relinquished it by reacting to her advances.

Aware that Luke definitely had feelings for her yet wouldn't allow himself to openly express them, she backed him to the wall that was behind him and made him meet her eyes by framing his face with her hands. Luke was so shocked by her brazenness that he stilled completely even though she tried to convey with her eyes all the love and respect that she felt for him.

All her desire to be with him and make him truly Happy.

That's how she saw something gleaming in the back of his gaze, something that she had wanted to nurture three days ago yet had been rebuffed, as he had tried to do just now; something that she wouldn't want to trigger in any other man but him, yet it was obvious to her that Luke was afraid to venture into those territories with her.

Well, then, she smirked inwardly, it was up to her to soothe those fears of his... fears that she had unwittingly awakened with her recent behavior.

It was time to set the records straight, then. "I think you're hiding something from me, Jedi," she all but breathed against his lips.

The contact of her warm breath on his lips seemed to pull him out of his stupor and he once again moved away from her, pushing her away from him. "What! What do you mean, hiding?"

She once again turned toward him, then on impulse, pulled out the long pin that was holding her hair up on her head. Her prospective lover swallowed hard as her rich auburn curls unfurled from their perch and cascaded down her back and around her shoulders.

She used his discomfiture to corner him once again; this time, she took hold of his wrists and pinned them on each side of his head.

"I think you're hiding something that concerns both of us, Luke," she stated lustfully, finally allowing herself to confront him without being acerb, thus antagonize him. It had taken her a while to understand how to approach him, but now that she did, she wasn't leaving him off the hook anytime soon. "I think that this secret is what made you turn me down every other time that I tried to have a normal relationship with you," she prompted him next. "You know? No Jedi lesson, no mission to fulfill... just you... and me..."

The young Jedi master was not even struggling against her hold, yet his mortified/nervous expression made it clear to her that he was not ready to give in yet. "Mara..., please..."

She drew even closer to him. "We're alone now, Luke, just you and me..." she pointed out, gazing deeply into his distraught eyes. "I promise that it will remain our secret." She leaned closer still to him. "What do you want to share with me, and me alone?"

She had never seen him as flustered as he now was and couldn't help but feel a new wave of desire for the cute sight that she was currently beholding. "I... huh," he hesitated, and then took on a begging expression. "Mara... Please, they could come for us any minute now---"

She silenced him by releasing him before dropping his cloak to her feet so as to allow him to see her entire body once again; she purposefully extended her left leg out of the folds of the long skirt, exposing her milky, athletic limb to his scrutiny.

As she had expected, that caught his attention once again.

"Let them come," she all but whispered. "As for your secret..." She boldly pushed herself against the length of his body, aware that there was no turning back this time.

If she really wanted him, then it was her only chance to express herself without any risks of confusion.

"Mara..." he fumbled yet still didn't strain against her renewed hold on his wrists.

She slowly tilted her head to the left, leaning closer to him with each word she breathed. "Could it be something like... this?" With no more room to separate them, she finally kissed him, something that she now understood she been yearning for for nearly a decade.

As she finally fulfilled part of her dream, it became crystal clear to her that 'this' was what she truly desired for her future; she wasn't afraid of 'it' anymore because Luke completed her, understood her, and was absolutely unique in more ways than she could ever describe.

She pushed herself harder against him, teasing his lips with her tongue to encourage him to open up to her even as she allowed her Force-senses to open up and reach out for his own.

At first, Luke was so shocked by Mara's bold actions that he stood, petrified. He had long since understood that he couldn't push her away, not even with the Force, because deep down, he didn't 'want' to.

However, he still didn't want to take any further 'risks' and so belatedly tried to free himself from her hold even though his desire for her was growing by leaps and bounds every time that she shifted her lips against his. It was most unexpected, even thrilling to think that she, too, had feelings for him, yet at the same time, he was downright frightened by what might entail this unexpected turn of events.

'No!' he objected these frightful prospects even though his body was already beginning to show signs of appreciation for the attentions that she was bestowing on him while his mind was also playing tricks on him thanks to her silent offer to also commune with her on a mental basis.

He finally ripped himself from her hold, closed his mind to hers and found refuge on the other side of the lift. "No, that's not it. I don't---"

The irresistible temptress turned around and once again 'swayed' her way closer to him. "That's not what I felt, Luke, and remember, I don't have any underwear underneath this."

Shocked yet again by her daring attitude, he failed to react before she yet again trapped him in the other corner of the lift. He whimpered despite himself, aware that if she came closer to him once again, he was 'done' for.

Granted, Mara was neither Vader nor the Emperor, but still... why did he feel so helpless in face of her... charms?

Belatedly, he became aware that, thanks to their Force-bond, she could read him like an open book. "What are you afraid of, Luke? Why do you keep running away from me yet do everything you can to know me inside out... the way I do you?"

When she didn't make any move to kiss him again, he understood that this was serious for her. She wasn't looking for a mere fling to replace the one she had been planning to catch; she was genuinely interested in him.

It was even worse than he had first thought. Mara Jade, the ex-Emperor's Hand, actually desired him... But how could she after what she had told him the last time that they had been together?

Worse, how could 'he' possibly open up, truly open up to her, and not be... "I..." he tried to answer her out loud. "I... I'm afraid to be hurt again..." he finally revealed to her. "I don't want to be ripped apart once again by my emotions..." Yet even as he said that, the horrible truth occurred to him. "But it's too late... because I... I already love you." A tear of regret slid down his left cheek and he cast his eyes down to avoid her piercing green gaze.

There, he had said it. Now, she would be upset and would finish breaking his heart by sneering at the thought that they could ever share either an intimate or a long-standing relationship before she would once again insult him by stating that she would never engage herself like that with someone like 'him'... the kind of being she despised and loathed... That he was just someone she would like to bed from time to time, hence the 'serious' part that he had felt in her mind a few moments earlier.

It was his Destiny, his curse for being both Vader's son and a powerful Jedi---

A feather-like hand gently touched his cheek before it made him look up to meet her gaze. When she spoke, her voice was like the softest satin he had ever heard of, tender and silky. "Luke, I would never, 'ever' hurt you," she promised him, her eyes locked steadily yet romantically on his. "I'd kill myself first before ever causing you again even the slightest grief. I'm sorry for what I said about you. I never wanted to insult you like that. Please, forgive me?"

This time, when she kissed him, he returned the embrace tenfold and she freed him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her slim silhouette while pulling her head closer, his bionic hand buried in her fiery strands. He simply couldn't believe that it was truly happening, that she was not only interested in him, but also deeply in love with him. However, both his physical and Force senses told him that it was true.

Mara loved him, and she wanted to do everything necessary to be able to share an intimate relationship with him. She was ready to make compromises, to accept him as he was, yet she was also aware that she had much to learn in regards to the 'love' business, hence that she might make new mistakes in the future.

'Be my teacher, please, Luke," she asked him, answering his unspoken thoughts. 'Teach me how to love you without hurting you."

'Oh, Mara," he sent to her with all his affection and passion. 'I love you so much..."

She answered him in kind. 'And I, you, my dear, dear farmboy-turned-Jedi."

He drew away from her at that, searching her eyes with his intense gaze. Although he could feel her good intentions as if they were his own, he still needed to hear her speak the words because he could feel that she still had a grudge against his Jedi persona. "Can you really accept me as I am, Mara? Do 'you' love me as I am, Jedi master and scrawny fumbling farmboy alike?"

She pushed herself back into his arms and against his lips, framing his face with her hands to keep him from interrupting their new kiss. Does this answer your question?"

Luke moaned as he took hold of her long-fingered hands and tried to pull them away from his face so as to get her attention.

It didn't work, as she was holding herself to him with the Force, surprisingly displaying skills that he hadn't known that she had mastered.

'Please, Mara," he begged her. He was on the brink of giving in – he 'wanted' to give into their passion – yet he also needed a last confirmation from her part. He didn't want a mere physical fling with his best friend who always seemed to criticize him about anything he did related to his Jedi life, nor did he want to give it a try when it was doomed from the start--- After all, they 'always' fought one way or another when they were together...

Upon hearing his thoughts, she slowly pulled away from him and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" she asked him softly. "I never meant any of what I said to you, Luke... It was just..."

"Just?" he prompted her with a raised eyebrow.

She took a deep breath, averted his deep gaze for a moment, and then dared meet his eyes again. "You were right about me," she conceded in the silence even as she took a small step away from him. "You were right to say that I didn't dare let anyone come close enough to me to become vulnerable to them. I was... afraid... afraid of losing my hard-won freedom... afraid to be hurt by yet another man... perhaps even by another master of the Force."

Even as she shared with him the darkest secrets of her renewed/reborn heart, she understood that she didn't need to be afraid of Luke because they were absolutely the same.

Both would punish themselves dearly before ever causing grief to one another, perfectly aware of the trials that they had been through in their respective lives.

Yet at the crossroads of those challenges, they had found each other, had come to rely on each other as they dealt with the remnants of their past, and now it was time to think about their futures.

Or should she say 'future'?

It was Luke's turn to make her look at him, his gentle fingers tenderly tilting her head up until their eyes could meet again. "You are not a coward, Mara and couldn't be furthest from it for I can't think of anyone else who would be able to go through even half of what you've been through at the Emperor's hands. I admire your courage and strength, and I swear to you that I will gladly kill myself before ever hurting you ever again. You've had enough pain for more lifetimes than I dare count... and I, too, am sorry for what I said to you. Right or not, it was still mean of me to twist the 'knife' the way I did... I'm sorry."

Tears shone in her eyes as she processed his words. As much as she knew that man inside out, she had never even suspected the depth of his devotion and love for her.

Her... an ex-assassin, a reluctant Jedi apprentice, a low-life smuggler/trader--- "You have also faced enough challenges as it is, Luke, and the last thing I want is to cause you harm by being in love with you. You deserve better than me, yet... I so wish that we could continue our journey together."

"Ssssh," he gently silenced her, resting his index across her lips. "'I' am the one not worthy of you, yet I cannot smother what you have just forced me to face within myself." He gazed straight in her eyes, his infinite gentleness and adoration swirling in his beautiful blue orbs. "I love you, Mara Jade, I love you more than I can express in words, and if you will have me despite my numerous flaws and weaknesses, I will never allow anyone to come between us ever again, not even myself."

For a long moment, Mara felt like pinching herself to make sure that it was not yet another one of her tormenting dream, then the intensity of the moment caught up with her and she dismissed even that thought from her mind.

Only her passion for this unique man mattered, as well as her answer to his offer to finally take their relationship to the next level.

She cried in joy as she enfolded him back into her embrace and captured his lips yet again with hers. 'Yes, Luke, I love you as you are and I never want to let you go either."

As if a last physical barrier had been broken, they kissed even more passionately even as they slowly slid down to the deck to get more comfortable for what they had in mind.

Their one, now Force-unified mind.

After Luke made sure that they wouldn't be disturbed for a long while, they both proceeded to catch up on their up-to-then restrained emotions of the past decade.

* * *

A long while later, though neither of them could say how long they had been revelling in their physical and mental union, they both dressed up once again before Luke 'finally' brought them back to their level. 

Shaking her head in amusement at his previous jealousy, she stood beside him and joined his efforts.

Two seconds later, the doors of the lift opened, finally freeing them from their temporary enclosure.

Before she could leave, though, Luke took left hand in his right one and held her back against him. "Before we do anything else, I have a favour to ask."

She smiled lustfully at him. "Shoot away."

He smiled coyly at her. "Promise me that you'll never wear that gown outside of our place ever again, okay? This is a little too revealing for the public eye."

She snickered at his comment. "I guess it was always predestined to be for your eyes only, my dear farmboy. I had bought it for you, but after our last fight, I figured I would never have any occasion to wear it so I chose to put it on for my night out. Deep down, though, I never intended for anyone but you to see me like this..." She gazed into his awestruck eyes. "I guess it was very fortunate for us that we ran into each other 'and' got stuck in this turbolift."

She pecked him on the cheek, drawing him out of his shock.

"Huh, indeed," he agreed, flustered. "So you had it all worked out, huh?"

"Well, not 'all' worked out," she shrugged as she guided him out of the lift, "but I had a battle plan of sorts, yeah... I just never thought that this gown would become a contingency plan after I completely sabotaged my own efforts."

"Unless it was the Force at work," he whispered in her ear before sensually kissing her lobe. "Let's go to our place, huh? I still don't like the idea of you being seen by anyone else in that scant piece of fabric"  
She meant to return his smirk when his choice of word caught her attention. "Our... our place?..

Was he asking her to marry him? When he had asked her if she'd have him as he was, she had thought that he had been double-checking her feelings in light of their constant arguments of the past, but now, she wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Not even of herself.

Sure they had made love, and thus had fortified their Force-bond to unprecedented levels, but she had never thought that Luke would be thinking about marriage already.

Especially not after their history of constant arguing over everything and nothing.

It's just part of your charms, Jade," he replied through their bond even as he took hold of her suddenly shaking hands. As for marriage, I figure that since we already fight like a married couple – cause that's what we really do, you know?- and that we know each other better than anybody else does, we have no reason to hold back on what we both know we have been yearning for years now."

For a long moment, she gazed at their joined hands, then into his eyes that were a door to his soul, and then she smirked in playfulness as she became aware that she had already said yes back in the turbolift; their love-making had done the rest for them, as had their decade of adversity/friendship that had allowed them to become almost as intimate with one another's personality as any love-relationship would.

All that had been missing had been their overt admission of their love for one another, as well as the consumption of that love.

"So?" he asked, having followed her reasoning through their newly-strengthened bond.

"Well, I don't know," she began playfully as she resumed walking down the deserted corridor. "Do I at least get to pick the place?"

Luke gently took hold of her right hand, lacing his real fingers through hers even as he leaned closer to kiss her right temple. It can be wherever you want it to be... as long as we're together, forever," he offered, conciliating.

Leaning into his tender attention, she turned her head around and met his serene gaze with her own. "I think I could definitely live with those terms," she smiled softly, and then pulled him to her with her free left hand.

Following suite, Luke pulled her back against himself as they revelled once again in their newly-revealed yet almost decade-old love.

At last, they had completed their separate paths and were ready to begin travelling down a common path.

The path of their love and the Happy and content future 'it' had in mind for them.

The End

* * *

Well, had fun? Liked it? Please let me know! I'm addicted to feedback and love to hear from readers so as to know what works and what doesn't, thus improve in the future :) 

Written 2004-2006 Mireille


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